Mel and Janice in The Xena Statue
by mhutch0461
Summary: Mel/Janice Story: Janice deals with an obsession with Xena. Review and I'll give you more.
1. Chapter 1

**GENERAL COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER:**

Xena: Warrior Princess, Gabrielle, Argo and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

**LOVE/SEX WARNING/DISCLAIMER:**

This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story.

**Mel and Janice by mhutch0461**

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK_

"Who's there?"

_CLICK . . . BANG!_

Old springs and gears from the doors elegant handle fly and scatter to the floor. Heavy boots kick the door open.

_SWISH, CRACK!_

Not a rope, but a whip grabs hold of the foyer's chandelier from overhead and pulls taunt. The heiress stands back in shock and awe, watching a stout figure swing off the chandelier to land right in front of her. Landed in a spring, knees bent, a dirty-blonde mystery stands its full height with a fedora hiding its face till the figure raises its gaze slowly. Dark smoke pulls a three second veil over the Southerner's eyes, but when she draws the cherry again, reveled is the woman so intimidating and exciting she sends chills all over Mel's body. The mere thought of her the prerequisite, but now in her presence…

"Hey, darl'n"

"Hi"

Janice puts out her Cuban on the leather of her belt and tosses the withered end mindlessly, never taking her eyes off her, showing nothing but determination. She rolls her shoulders to let her jacket fall off the silk shirt underneath, hiding well the pleasures that lie even further. The fedora follows the cigar, tossed across the living room of Mel's mansion and skillfully hung on a rack. The archeologist closes the distance between them, a little too quickly for Mrs. Pappas' tastes, leaving her to clumsily back into the velvet love-seat behind her. Sitting before the predator in Janice's eyes, excitement swells within her, overflows, heating her whole body, hairs raised on end. The blonde leans over her, wraps an arm around her waist so she can't back away, making the Southerner bend in her arms as Janice sweetly caresses her dark hair, pulling it from its casual bun to let it fall and caress her in return.

"_Melinda_…_Melinda_…_Melinda_…Hey, Mel, wake up!"

"Ahhh!"

"Mel, shut up! You want to have all those men rushing in here? You'd think I'd killed ya'."

"Well, I'm sorry Janice . . . I was a little startled by the mere inches you left for breath between us!"

"Whoa, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bunk."

The Southerner draws her blanket over her PJs as if she were hiding her shame, "Sorry, I'm just . . . a little frustrated."

"I know. We should have found something by know. It's been nearly a month! And quit apologizing."

"Sorr . . ."

"NO! If I hear the _S _word one more time you're going to wish you was sorry." Janice hands Mel her glasses and gives her a condoling look, telling her _don't sweat it too much, get dressed, and meet me outside_.

Sun blazing down on the workers backs, progress for the sake of progress had been forgotten, and a reinforced belief that the coin received would make up for three times the torture, takes its place . . . 'till the archeologist _shows_ up.

_SWISH, CRACK!_

Cracking the whip came with a mutual understanding, one where all gave her the upmost respect simply because she was able to work with them and took that extra time to earn trust than the usual fear and totalitarian structure past employers always used to get them to work faster . . . besides, they all know she just really loves the crisp sound of a leather whip. For her they'd simply _do_ and not give it a second thought.

Mel loves this simple unspoken fact. With this extended trip to the supposed location of the legendary Xena scrolls, the Southerner has been able to find those hidden soft spots to Janice's hard exterior, a feat that none other before her had ever accomplished . . . she hopes. She admires her more than all of them combined, because out of all the accomplished women in the world, Janice is the example of something completely new and highly unimaginable. She was able to skill herself outside the tradition of every southern woman she'd known:Janice is able to defend herself, gun slinging perfected more than any man, and a mean right hook to boot. She can walk into any situation and steal the attention, and most times the authority. And the one element she loves most of all, and envies all the more . . . she's able to dress like a man; comfortably, dominatingly, in a way that allows her be the natural beauty she is and smoke a Cuban simultaneously.

"Mel? You ok? You've been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes. The heat getting too you already?"

"What? Oh! No, no . . . I'm quite alright, but . . . perhaps I'll just go get something to drink."

"Great! Bring me back a Bourbon, would ya'?"

"Janice, it's not even mid-noon!"

"I know, and it's already so hot it's ridiculous."

"You know very well that's not what I meant. What in God's great name am I gonna do with you?"

"Nothing good, I hope." Mel flushes a deep crimson, much to her discomfort, and pleasure, making the swirl of opposing emotions a big pain in the rear, but, as Janice knows, it's the only way to shut her up.

"Hurry back . . . and no ice . . . dilutes the taste."

"You're going to have ta' put _me _on ice by the time I get out of here."

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing!"


	2. Chapter 2

-2-

Janice has begun to worry; Mel still hasn't come back with their drinks. She makes her way to the hut they share together, being the only women in camp, when she hears the most animalistic noise coming in whispers from just beyond the thin fabric that composes the structure's walls. _Who-? But the only person it could be is . . . no way!_ Approaching as stealthily as possible, considering the blow, _she actually masturbates! Her, a lady, an A-class Southern heiress, in my bunk, getting her kicks off! _The archeologist pulls the curtain door back slightly. She can't stop herself as she watches her partner timorously explore herself. Mel's facing her, but too preoccupied to notice Janice standing a mere 10 feet away. She has herself propped up against a stack of trunks at the head of her bunk, pillow in between. Her knees stay bent at the knee and spread further for better access, legs smooth and trembling as she brings her hand down over her center, teasingly stroking her inner thighs. Fingertips travel to the hem of her underwear, and when she finally touches herself, both women let out a mutual groan. Mel looks up at the foreign sound in a haze of pleasure and sees Janice there gripping the tent's flap, staring at her.

"Janice!"

"I'm sorry!" Janice is petrified. She didn't leave like she should, her first instinct being she didn't want any screams, as the heiress could so easily exert, to carry across the dig. She rushes just inside the tent's "doorway", her hands up in a bring-the-noise-down-position.

"Well, don't come in _now!_ By God, I'm so embarrassed." Mel turns away from her as tears start to well in her eyes. When she witnesses the heiress' shoulders shake, Janice immediately goes to her; puts a hand on the southerner's arm in order to provide any level of comfort. Mel shoves the hand away, "Leave me alone", words that nearly break the archeologist's heart at how dejected the voice sounds. Janice won't have it. She forces Mel 'round to embrace her in a fierce hug, "I won't", her heart speaks for the first time, freely and of no fear because all that matters to her at the moment is Mel.

Several minutes to an eternity seem to pass. Janice yields no perception of height when holding Mel. She condoles her without any protest and when her friend comes through, she hugs the archeologist back. But when she remembered why they were in this position in the first place, "Janice, what were you doing?" Pushing Dr. Covington back, but to no avail other than the couple of feet the blonde allows, "Mel, I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't intend to . . . you know . . ."

"Well, ya' sure as hell did! No matter what your intentions."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . hold on a second here. Don't yell at me. This is my tent too, and you said you were going to get drinks."

"Fine, right, I was, so . . . just let me go." She attempts to pull away from Janice's embrace, but fails again to put any distance between them. After a few seconds, once the archeologist makes clear that she's not going anywhere unless she wills it, she releases Mel and the southerner stays.

"No . . . I'm trying to figure out what got you so . . . flustered." Providing a little comic relief for Mel, she uses her saucy guy persona, making fun, fore she knows how ridiculous her friend finds it, though it's the ironic source of the whole fiasco; concluding that _one_ she can calm her down, and _two_ she'd find out something dark about the elegant Mrs. Pappas, "What could ya've been thinking about, darl'n? Boy back home? Na', no good ol'boy could keep you lit." Mel just stares at her, but her eyes start to dry up and a smile slowly cracks from underneath her disheartened expression, so she keeps rolling with it. "Could it be you've got a stash of _entertainment_ under that mattress I don't know about?"

"Janice!" The dark haired beauty hits her above the chest playfully, only to marvel at the smaller woman's strength again as she moves not one inch from her standing.

"Worth a shot." This time she plays with her character even more. "Could it be a secret fantasy?" she takes Mel's hand in hers and wraps her other arm around her waist, dipping her slim figure as in some erotic salsa dance, "Where some habio whisks you away, ravishing you into the night, 'cause he can't keep his hands off you? . . . I know I couldn't . . ." Mel goes wide-eyed, at the last bit, a whisper, "I mean, I couldn't . . . imagine . . . that is to say, uh . . . I-I-I have no imaginative capabilities what-so-ever", Janice rambles, something that she did rarely out of nervousness, but for some reason, Mel finds it adorable. She lifts herself up out of Janice's slipping grip and uses height to her advantage, towering over the blonde, and with piercing blue eyes, seizes her own character, one all too familiar to her. Janice subconsciously moves to rid Mel of the glasses that hid her azure, crystalline eyes. What a sick game she's playing. Mel can't deny she's aware of how deep Janice's obsession with Xena runs, and now she's using it against her, "Tell me, Janice . . . do you have any fantasies?"

"Yes . . . I mean no . . .", rambling again, she makes herself irresistible tothe heiress. How cute her little archeologist was. "Ww-why would I tell you!"

"In all fairness Janice, you did catch me in a most _intimate_ position not too long ago."

"And I said I was sorry . . ."

"And I've forgiven you, honestly." Following Mel with her eyes, she notices the contours of the heiress' body as she moves towards her bunk, now seeming all the more prominently that of the Amazon Warrior residing in her dreams, "But in all seriousness, Janice . . . come now, sit." Janice does as she's told which makes her feel odd, taking orders. They sit on the bunk that Janice will never forget. The archeologist quickly adapts into a more controlled state. Remaining cool stands at the top of her priorities list, but Mel makes it incredibly hard to do. She scoots closer, mere inches away from touching her, but then she does just that, stroking Janice's hand in order to make her feel at ease, "Do you have any fantasies?"

"How did we get to this subject, again?"

"You mentioned it, and now I'm intrigued. You've had to have thought about it before. So what it is it? What does the mysterious Dr. Covington day dream about?" So dangerously close that Janice could feel the breath of her friend's question, her judgment began to cloud as all kinds of fantasies stormed in her mind, causing her to consider revealing her inner-most secret.

"You actually want to know?"

"Yes, of course." Mel strokes her hand again and slightly up her forearm, swearing she felt the slightest of tremors elude from the confidant Dr. Covington.

". . . no, I can't."

"Oh, come on . . ." Janice isn't giving an inch, but she won't give up, ". . . alright, at least tell me this. If you could have anyone, anyone in the world, who would it be? That's easier to answer, right?"

Pondering for a moment, she made her decision hastily, ". . . It can be anyone? Past or present?"

"Yes, I suppose it can."

"Ok . . . (mumbles)"

"What?"

". . . na."

"I can't hear you."

"Xena!"

"Really! I never would have guessed", Mel falters only slightly, but for a reason she can't determine, like Janice has just confessed to her. But not her. Xena.

"Yeah, I know it's ridiculous. I spend so much time looking for traces of her . . . I've literally fallen in love with my work."

"Love?"

"I wouldn't call it love as much as I'd call it a _deep_ obsession. I just can't help myself."

They're interrupted by the workers yelling across the dig in Greek, which only Janice understands fully. "What are they saying?"

"They've found something!" Rushing out to the site, Mel struggles to keep up in her heels before kicking them off. The workers gather excitedly at the newly discovered relic of Xena history, and respectively part as Dr. Covington makes her way to the front. Standing before them is a seven foot statue of the Warrior Princess, stone marked with brass where her breast plate lies by legend, and moonstone embedded at her eyes, "Sweet Saint Mary . . . it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Get it to my tent!" Everyone hurries to grab an edge and together they haul it as requested.


	3. Chapter 3

-3-

"Lord, Janice, do you realize we've found the first Xena depiction of such caliber? We have no painting or sketch, but a life-size, three-dimensional sculpture! Which according to the scrolls we do have, is spot on!"

In a daze, it seems Janice has shut out all activity around her as she brushes the details of the statue with a finger, "Mel, come and feel this", she did as she's told and drops her jaw in awe, "Real leather! How could it have survived?"

"It looks unlike any other I've ever seen", bonded in this new discovery, Mel explores with her, and while Janice is busy with the facial features of the work, she looks lower at the pedestal that appears to be carved with it. She feels what's similar to engravings of letters, "Janice, here! Look!" The archeologist crouches down, close enough for Mel to feel the hastened, warm breath on her skin which makes her shiver, but the blonde is too enthralled to notice. She touches the letters, but can't make them out. Going for her pack, she pulls out a canteen. Opening it slowly, she brings it to her nose to smell, then takes a big swig, "Dr. Covington!"

"I was thirsty, sue me!"

"This is not the time."

"Don't get y'er nickers in a wad, alright? Jesus", with a cold glare from Mel, Janice brings out the spare water bottle and washes off the dust. She read as she went, "Our _sacrifice to the Goddess Xena, though she may deny it. May she bless, shelter, and protect us forevermore, amen._

"They worshiped her."

"No, I'm thinking more like a really grateful village, who happened to see her awesome Kung-Fu skills, made this out of respect, maybe even adoration. Still it's not too hard to think she was at least half-god."

"Yeah, you're probably right, but what are we gonna do with it?"

"Keep it. None of those crackpots back home are gonna get their ruddy hands on this" Janice continues with the water and cleans up whatever she can. Mel just stands back and scrutinizes her ancestor at how much they do look alike, "What is it about her, Janice?" Mel goes to stand beside Xena, the archeologist still preoccupied with her task, "Who?"

"Xena, why _are _you so obsessed?"

"You know, I've never really thought about it 'till today . . . but the more I think about it, it's a connection more than anything. It's confusing. At first I thought it was the bloodline . . . hmph. But it's not me with the warrior blood . . . it's you", quickly she revises in her head as not to upset the southerner, "But it's not your fault . . . hell Mel, you can't help who your ancestors are. But then why do I feel so close to her, a woman I've never met, but once, in that cave?", she finally looks up at the young heiress, her expression one of guilt. Standing up, she looks upon her friend with the sincere confusion she was talking about, though this time, looking at Mel, standing next to her, smelling her perfume that, even in this desert heat, she still bothers with, all hits her hard. "In that cave you experienced what it was like to be Xena. But what you and even I didn't realize is that I got to be Gabrielle. For two seconds I was overwhelmed with emotions so great they seemed to shine like the sun, bursting out in flames I couldn't contain, that otherwise would have been too much if she wasn't within me. It's a power within my greatest weakness that I only feel when you're around. Gabrielle will never stop loving her. How can she with a love that ascends gods, time, even death?." She said it before she could stop herself. Taking Mel's hand, she brought their palms up together as the southerner mirrored her motions. She interlaced her fingers with the southerners noticing how perfectly their hands fit with each other. But she decided this mushy stuff was getting to be a little much. Forcing herself to drop their clasped hands in frustration, "Damn it! Why do you have to look like her! All I can think about is you, and I don't even know if it's me that wants you or that damned Bard!"

"Maybe, A little of both?" Mel takes Janice's hand and places it over her chest, "Do you feel that?" her heart beating thousands of times over, the same as Janice's, "We are the missing pieces to each other's puzzle. I've felt Xena's longing for you, her friend, along with everything else."

"Including the major ass kicking abilities, you mean."

"Bottom line: our ancestors were always a part of us, but when we experienced them first hand that connection was deepened." The blonde doesn't speak, but brings her hand up to stoke the real life version of her love's cheek adoringly. And as she goes further down to her cleavage, teasing as she always does, Mel surprisingly doesn't flinch, "We are destined to be together for eternity. They just helped us get caught up a little through this whole mess. Xena and Gabrielle would call it _a little help from the fates."_


	4. Chapter 4

_-4-_

"So, where do we go from here?"

"I'll leave that up to you, Dr. Covington."

"You're the warrior! My big, bad . . ." Janice places her hands at Mel's waist and strokes up over her stomach and shoulders, "beautiful warrior."

"Oh, now you're just trying to get me to blush."

"Worked, didn't it?" Her smile fades when Mel's expression goes serious and stoic. She takes her hair down and her eyes dilate as she moves towards the archeologist through the darkness and light the folds in the tent create. "She is within me", Janice is struck cold as the evil sound of Mel's words hits her ears. The southerner strips herself of her top and skirts, leaving a silk slip the only coverage, "She makes me feel powerful . . . but only when you're around. I can sense everything clearly. Even your scent . . . your fear . . . your arousal", Janice still can't move, her breathing getting heavier, Mel getting closer 'till she encircles her in strong arms, "You're so addicting. If I'd have known that you had the same difficulties . . . trying to figure out another part of yourself while being around the one person you want most in this world . . . unable to do something, anything about it . . .", green eyes look pleadingly into her own, innocent and vulnerable, but wanton and wild, "I would have done this ages ago", Xena tilts Gabrielle's chin up, and her lips closer to hers before claiming them, finally, in a love acclaiming, warm and gentle, adoring kiss. And like all passions, theirs grows from a slight flicker to a roaring inferno of sorts. The bard submits willingly, but still clings desperately to the goddess of her dreams. A pain that started as what the archeologist took for longing now flared into a deeper reflection of her soul, trying to break free and join her in her new-found/reunited lover. Her ancestor was very much alive, within her, aching to feel the life of the mighty Warrior Princess as she took her firmer in her arms, leading the blonde to what comfort was found in their make-shift beds. But as Xena pushed Gabrielle back and into the cot, she stopped for a moment, just to appreciate the perfection she found in this woman. She knelt between her legs as the Bard was seated, always gazing into her emerald green eyes, "For centuries I thought I would never see your eyes again, in that perfect shade defined only by the flesh of this insufferable world." Taking the fedora off the archeologists head, she proceeded to unfurl her blond curls from their binds, "But know that you made it all bearable, Gabrielle. Without you, my life would have been worth for nothing. I love you, truly, with all my heart. Mind, body, and soul."

"Well, now, none of my stories could top that." They both were doused by a fit of giggles, "But we shouldn't take advantage. Let these girls have their first time . . . like we did ours."

"That we did, didn't we, little one?"

"Indeed we did." Gabrielle took her warrior's lips in the flesh for one last memory. Reunited again by the grace of their ancient-body's successors, they left Mel and Janice to each other as entangled spirits rushing towards the stars.


End file.
